Rotary internal-combustion engine.



S. L. SAUNDEHS. Rv INTERNAL comausuoN ENGINE. APPLICATWN HLEU DCT. 3, \9l6.

ROTA

Patented J uy .3, 1918.

to a minimum.

SAMUEL I.. sAUnnERs, or Bos'ron, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application led October B, 1916.

i tion.

This invention relates to internal r-oinbus tion .engines and more particularly to that type of engine which employs a rotary dri ving iiieiiiber or rotor in lieu of reciprocating pistons.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to produce a rotary motor of this type which shall he entirely free from reciprocating parts so as to reduce vibration To this end the invention comprises essentially a rotor of the turbine type so mounted in the stationary element forming the casing to receive from the ignition of an explosive mixture driving iinpiilses at stated intervals during its rotation, rotary means being provided for feeding an accurately measured supply of the combustion gas for each explosion, said means boing also adapted to secure compression of the gaseous mixture in the combustion chamber and in the intervals between successive ignitions.

With the construction and arrangement characterizing this invention it is ilnnccessary to employ external means for forcing the gaseous mixture into the casing under pressure since the feed devices themselves produce suicient suction to draw in the carbureted 'air or mixture and 'furthermore act to compress this mixture in the combustion chamber. i

The device embodyin my invention embraces essentially a` tur ine-rotor mounted surrounding casing, which casin vcar- 1n rieginteorlydisposed rotary feed an compressing elements directl communie ting with their respective com ustion cha am which are arranged ypreferably inside' he rotor element and adjacent thereto, so that the combustion gases impinge directly againstthe vanes or buckets of the rotor dur-- ing their exfpansion outward away from the center, the eed, elements acting also to prevent any backring into the supply pipe or chamber.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated in simple form the principles of construction covering this inventionrbut it Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1918.

serial No. 124,632.

will be understood that the details of constriurtiou such as the shape of the buckets or varies, the Ashape of the feed teeth and the proportion of parts are more or coni'entionally shown to clearly illustrate the principle ot' the invention and may he varied to secure the highest elliciency in practice.

Figure is a vertical section on the plane indicated by broken line -w of Fig.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the coiistriiclioii shown in Fi l.

lifthe practice of the lliyention as in the torni illustrated 1 provide a hollow casing l7 which may be iliade in two approximately cylindrical sections having covering flanges 2 hy which they may be tightly folded together, face to face.

The present form of device is shown as having a duplex rotor, that is.y a rotor having two distinct series of buckets in offset planes and coiisequently two sets of explosion chambers and coordinated feed devices mounted in the casing.

ln this duplex form of the invention each section or half ofthe Casing is' provided with a cylindrical head 5 which heads extend inwardly toward each other in an axial direc tion and form an interior casing in 'which are located the combustion chambers, feed members, etc.

The rotor 6 comprises a central disk-like spider 7 keyed or otherwise secured to the central shaft 4 and also a peripheral inember 8 which extends in the form of a lateral annular Harige in an axial direction for a suitable distance each side of the central disk or spider. At symmetrical intervals this cylindrical flange is rovided with a series of buckets` forming im act and expansion chambers shown at 9. llbreiferably each set of buckets is circumferentially staggered with reference to the set of buckets on the other side of the spider so that the eXplosions on one side of the middle of the rotor alternate with the explosions on the other side but this is not a necessary or indispensable arrangement.

As shown in F ig. 2 the inwardly projecting heads 5 which form a sort of interior casing within the rotor have their opposed inner faces located so as to leave a narrow annular clearance space between the disk spider of the rotor and 4the opposite faces of the two casing' heads so as to permit the insertion of a circular internally toothed rack 10 which is fastened in any suitable ilo manner to the inside circular face of the rotor adjacent to its central s `1der, Which serves a purpose presently to e described. These internal heads 5 are also provided with three partition walls 12 symmetrically arranged about the axial center to inclose the feeding and compressing members which inv this caso comprise intermeshing gears 13, 14 whose axial length is equal to the breadth olf the chambers in which they are mounted so that they will form a close Contact with the end walls of said chambers 1Q.

Each ofthe chambers 12 is provided with an inlet pipe 15 for admitting the carburated or gaseous mixture. Both gear members have teeth of a formation best adapted to maintain a close and constant contact to prevent leakage or back-firing into the inlet. or supply chamber from the explosion chamber. The wallv or partition 12 is curved at. opposite ends to iorm a close peripheral. Contact with half, or even more than half, of the teeth of each intermeshing gear.

The Jinion 13 turns freely on a fixed stud 13". T e pinion 14 is mounted on a shaft Ll which projects through the inside Wall of the containing chamber into the annular clearance.- space that is bounded by the internally toothed ring "l0 and on its inner end said shaft carries a pinion 16 preferably of smaller diameter than the gear 11a which pinion intermeshes with the teeth of the driving ring- 10. It will be understood that the size of this driving pinion 16 may be varied provided, of course, the toothed ring 10 is extended tar enough toward the central axis toV intermesh with the pinion. dv making the pinion small as compared with the gear 14a and extending the rack bar inwardly sufficiently to engage it. the speed of: rotation of the feed members 125-14 may be increased to secure a greater com pression ot' the combustible mixture.

As indicated in the drawings the rotor is assumed to travel in a contra-clock-Wisc (li-- rect-ion and makes the pinion 1G and its con v 14- rotate 1n the same direction about their 'fixed axes while .the intermeshing ear 13 "rotates in aclock-Wise direction. The'eilect ot this is that the combustible mixture entering' the chamber at its inner side.'that is, the side toward the central shaft of the rotor, is drawn inA opposite directions by the respective gear-teeth and passes around the outer sidesy of the respective gears to the `combustion chamber at nected gear 17, in which combustion chamber is mounted y a suitableV spark plug 1-8 which serves at proper intervals to ignite the mixture.

The mixture inthe explosion chamber 17 is confined bythe surrounding solid portion of the flange 8 of the rotor andis' therefore compressed' by the positive feeding' action of the two gears Yuntil the passages through the bucket portion ofthe 'rotor approach the as described. A

respective combustion chambers at which instant the ignition takes .place with the result that the explosive mixture impinges agamst the inclined vanes or buckets to produce the rotation of the rotor.

I have not attempted to show the i ition control since any suitable or well nown device in connection with the spark plug may be employed.

I may core outy the interior of the casing heads 5 between the Walls 12 bounding the gear chambers and the peripheral Wall and central hub to leave spaces Q10 which may be employed for the circulation of air or water for coolin purposes if desired, in which case suite le inlets and outlets as indicated at 21am provided.

What I claim is:

1. A rotary internal combustion engine embracing in combination a hollow casing, a rotor mounted inside said casing and havlng a peripheral bucket ring Whose buckets are disposed to receive the impact of the explosion b which the rotor is driven, suitable com ustion chambers arranged inside the casing in coperative relationship with said bucket ring, and continuously rotating gas feeding members acting by their rotation to compress and feed the combustible mixture into said combustion chambers, said rotary feed members having operative connection with said rotor by which they are continuously rotated, substantially as described.

2. In an internal combustion engine the combination of a rotor `element provided `with a series of peripheral buckets to receive the impact of the gas explosion, acasing formed to surround said rotor and also to project. inside the peri heral portion of said rotor, a plurality of eed devices arranged in recesses formed in the inside portion of u said casing and comprising rotary feed members arranged in coperativetpairs ,in each recess and acting to divide said recesses into inlet and outlet chambers, the latter being disposed to open into said buckets at intervals during t forming explosion chambers, said feed members acting also to force the explosive mixture into said explosive chambers, substantially asdescribed.

w l 3. In a rotary internal combustion engme e rotation of the buckets andq the combinationof a rotor provided with ini,

\ clined buckets and secured tp a 1central shaft,

in which said rotor ismounted, said e Ces-ifi casing cts orlrecesses eing provided with aseries of pockvidethem into inlet and` outlet chambers,

said outlet chambers serving as explosionl the buckets of the. rotor asthey pass infront.

of the outlets of said chamber; substantially ,-fztary f eed and compressi g devices arranged in said recesses to subi- 4. ln a rotary internal combustion engine the combination of a stationary casing provided at intervals about a common center with a series of recesses, coperating rotar members mounted in said recesses to sub-d1- vide them into inlet and outlet chambers, a rotor comprising an annular member having buckets inclined to its radii at intervals about its periphery, said buckets being arranged to receive the explosive discharge 'troni said outlet chambers at intervals during their rotation, said rotary members acting to feed the combustible mixture into the said outlet chambers and to compress it in the intervals between explosions, substantially as described.

5. In a rotary internal combustion engine the combination of a stationaryA casing provided with a series of recesses about its center. rotary devices mounted in said recesses and comprising a pair of gear-like members formed to intermesh with each other to maintain constant contact between them and having close contact with the surrounding walls of their containing recesses in order to -feed the combustible mixture from one side of said recess to the other side while preventing back-iring into the inlet portion of said recess, a rotor comprising an annular member having inclined buckets arranged at intervals around its periphery to receive the discharge of the explosion produced in the outlet side of said recesses, substantially as described.

(l. The combination of a rotor comprising a central spider secured to a shaft and having a peripheral annular portion formed with inclined buckets, a casing having oppositely disposed heads to proJcct inside the annular portion of said rotor, said heads being formed with ret-ess al' 1anged around the central axis, l'eed and compressing inemers mounted in said recesses to subdivide them into inlet and outlet portions, the latter beingarranged in the periphery of said heads to discharge into the buckets as they pass by in their revolution, said feed and compression liu-mbers being operatively connected by suitable gearing with the rotor in order to cause their po` tive rotation, sub -stantiallyY as described.

7. A. combination o1 a rotor comprising a central suliporting spider and a peri heral annular bucket ring projecting latcra ly bcyond said spider, a Casin provided with a cylindrical head extended mside the annular peripheral member of said rotor, a series of recesses formed in said cylindrical head to receive the combustible nnxture, rotary feed members mounted in said recesses, a driving pinion connected therewith, a drlving gear secured to said rotor in position to engave said driving pinion in order to actuatc said rotary feed members to feed the explosive charge into the outlet side of said recesses in posit1on to discharge against the buckets of said bucket ring, substantially as described.

8. A rotary internal combustion engine embracing in its construction a` rotor element comprising a peripheral bucket ring and a central supporting spider for securing it to a central shaft, a casing provided with a cylindrical head projecting inside said bucket ring, said head being formed with a series of recesses, conduits for conducting the combustible mixture to said recesses, rotor feed members arranged in said recesses to subdivide them into inlet and outlet chambers and acting to positively feed the combustible mixture into the outlet chambers and to compress it therein, spark plugs located in said outlet chambers to cause 'ignition of the explosive mixture therein at suitable intervals, said head being also provided with cooling passages for permitting the circulation of liquid between the said recesses, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a rotor element comprising a central spider and a peripheral bucket ring formed by flanges extending laterally on either side of said spider and provided with a series of buckets arranged in said ring, side l side, a casing having opposite c vliiulrical. lit-:als projecting toward each ther inside opposite ends ol said Inu-krt, ring, each head being provided with a series ot' recesses, rotary Jfeed devices mounted in said rcressi-is to subdivide them into inlet and outlet chambers, the latter forming explosion chambers, a pair ol toothed driving rings detachably secured to said rotor and having operative connection with said rotary Jfeed devices through interuiediate pinions, substantially as described.

ln witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specilication.

SAMUEL L. SAUNDERS.

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